Analysis of leukocyte populations from whole blood samples is an important diagnostic procedure. The ability to analyze the major subpopulations of leukocytes in an automated manner has proved to be an effective tool for a rapid diagnosis of one or more blood samples.
For a number of automated hematology analyzers, a blood sample is typically split into a first portion that is subjected to techniques for analysis of red blood cells. A second portion is also obtained from the sample, which is employed for white blood cell analysis. It is important during analysis of the second portion that red blood cells be substantially completely lysed so that they do not interfere with white blood cell analysis. Thus far, several lysis reagents have been developed for use in whole blood samples. The claimed subject matter constitutes an improvement relative to existing reagents.